"The Demon King declared war. War is inevitable."
There was no way to resolve this peacefully. The open space suddenly became noisy.
I understand. A war with the demon realm while we are already in conflict with other kingdoms. How will the lost troops be replenished and where will the funds come from? What about the mental strength of soldiers devastated by successive wars?
'Furthermore, even if we manage to win the war against the demon realm, there is no way other kingdoms will just stand by and watch the Empire that cannot afford to fight any more wars.'
Since relations with other kingdoms had already reached their worst point, the downfall of the Empire was preordained.
In a situation where he had no choice but to walk, even though he knew it was the path to downfall, the Emperor spoke calmly.
"We have to focus on the demon realm, so all wars within the human world will be halted."
"Excuse me, but Your Majesty, will the kingdoms that were at war accept this obediently?"
"It has to be that way. Because this Empire is the only country in the human world that can deal with the demon realm."
And the Emperor fell silent for a moment.
He stopped talking there, but I could tell what he was trying to say.
'They would rather support the Empire.'
If the Empire fell, would the demon realm really stop there?
No way. If the Empire fell, the human world will soon fall.
In this situation, the most the other kingdoms could do to express their dissatisfaction would probably be not to support the Empire. Even if the situation became dangerous, active support will have to be provided.
'But there is no need to fight a war with insufficient support from the beginning. He must have swallowed those words.'
In the current situation, there was no need to offend other kingdoms.
The Emperor must have judged that way.
'But...'
His opinion was premised on one assumption.
Assuming that no kingdom joined the demon realm. My head suddenly tilted. We have seen a lot of human greed and selfishness during war. Was there really no chance that a powerful person with a lot to lose will join the side of the demon realm for his own safety?
'The Demon King accepted me as a human.'
This means that there was no special hostility or prejudice against humans. So, he would choose to accept them instead of rejecting them.
It's easy once, but then it's a battle of wits. Those in power will rush to betray the Empire and offer their country to the Demon King. What was the importance of race? What was important was safety.
'Well, there's no need to say something I'm not sure about.'
It's still a distant future. I don't want to incur hate by saying something that wasn't asked.
I don't know. I never thought of something like that. I buried the thoughts that came to my mind and looked at the Emperor with a calm face. He was once again nailing the story.
"So just be aware. From now on..."
"!"
The fishy scent of blood passed the tip of my nose.
A vivid bloody scent that was completely different from the scent of blood that comes from a monster that has been caught for some time. Damn it. What kind of situation was this again? Before I could even turn around, I heard a clear voice right behind me.
"I guess I got the timing wrong."
Could you please step aside for a moment?
Uh huh? The owner of a voice that could be considered a model of an aristocratic tone gently pushed me away and passes by. The thick, bloody smell followed behind, leaving a trail.
Holding a blood-soaked wooden box in one hand, he walked with restrained steps, neither fast nor slow, and stopped in front of the Emperor. He raised his head straight, without bowing an inch, and made eye contact with the Emperor.
"..."
"..."
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he slowly bent one knee. He put down the red-stained wooden box next to him and bowed his head.
His green hair flowed down as he moved, and his neat voice came out again.
"Glory to the Empire. Stigma Primero greets the current Empire."
Stigma Primero. The second hero of the Empire.
No matter how much of a hero he was, it was too much for him to come in with such a strong bloody smell. Can't you see that the nobles around you are frozen?
... Although, his clothes were strangely neat.
'I feel a strange sense of déjà vu... I guess it's just my mood.'
I feel like I've been through a similar situation with a different main character and location, but I guess that's just my mood. Let's ignore it.
"Get up. What is the box next to you?"
"I prepared this out of regret that I could not participate in the hunting competition due to circumstances, but... I don't think I can give it to you because the timing is not good."
"Tell me the content."
"It's the enemy's head."
Oh... as soon as they declared a halt to war in the human world, he came carrying an enemy's head.
But it's not Stigma's fault. He didn't know, so what could he do? The Emperor's words will be known from today onwards, so for now, all he can do is carry out his duties faithfully.
The Emperor was silent for a moment and then waved his hand at a nearby attendant. Stigma obediently handed over the box to the attendant who approached him, and after receiving the box from the attendant, he opened the lid.
The scent of blood carried by the wind became stronger.
"... Good work."
The answer from the Emperor who cared about heroes was as expected.
As if Stigma had expected this, he slightly bowed his head and expressed his gratitude. The Emperor handed the box back to the servant and walked forward.
"Orders will be delivered soon. The war within the human world will stop and we will prepare for the war with the demon realm, so prepare in advance."
Stigma quietly retreated and asked the nobles around him who won first place in the hunting competition. He slightly widened his eyes and then smiled elegantly, as if he had answered sincerely despite his hesitation.
With that, the official monster hunting first place was Deon Hardt, and the unofficial human hunting first place was Stigma Primiro, and the competition came to an end.
It would have been nice if the hunting competition was over, but it was not over. What did that mean? It meant I can't go home.
After the hunting competition hosted by the imperial palace, an after-party and social gathering was held. It would have been better if I hadn't been able to go home because I was attending the banquet.
"I heard something happened. Are you feeling okay?"
"It's okay."
It's okay, so please just let me go now.
As soon as the Emperor announced the end of the hunting competition, he grabbed me and dragged me into a quiet forest.
Actually, he didn't drag me, but it's the same as dragging to me anyway.
'Wouldn't you like to take a walk?'
Who would dare refuse when the Emperor made such an offer?
I followed him with a miserable feeling. Even after a long time had passed, his mouth opened and the words that came out were about the commotion that had occurred at the hunting competition and his regards to my body.
"I'm glad you're okay, but something went wrong at the tournament held by the imperial family, so I guess I'll have to take responsibility. I will send an additional amount to the prize money to be sent to your mansion."
I felt like he was trying to subtly use money to get away with it, but I just went along with it.
Anyway, even if you tell him what you want, there's no way he'll grant what you really want, and other than that, I don't really want anything else.
"Thank you."
"And... the plant-type monster you caught."
I was shocked for a moment here.
I'm sure the Emperor didn't hear that ridiculous rumor either. I'd like to have some hope that it hasn't been long since it started to spread and the Emperor hasn't heard about it since he arrived.
But was that possible? Knowing full well the Emperor's intelligence, I immediately threw away my weak hopes.
'Do you have any doubts?'
The Emperor might be suspicious.
But I really didn't control it. ... I happened to bring it here, though.
"I will send someone soon, so I hope you can help us keep records of the attack method and response method."
"All right."
He sighed languidly, as if satisfied, and touched the back of his left hand. A hand wearing a glove came into view.
Now that I thought about it, it's strange. I remember that the Emperor usually didn't wear gloves. Didn't you hate that your fingertips felt numb when you held and moved the sword?
As I was inwardly tilting my head, the Emperor softly called my name.
***
"Deon Hardt."
The guy's mood changed, as if he sensed that he was about to move on to an important story.
Red-red eyes quietly look at him, revealing heavy power. He felt this every time, but the ability to judge 'which side' needed to hear what was to be said was truly top-notch.
'No, in this case, we should first see it as sharing what we have heard and what we will remember.'
But it can't go on like that forever. It doesn't matter because it's not important right now. The Emperor, who was looking into Deon Hardt's eyes, opened his mouth leisurely, without any haste.
"You too will participate in this war."
In the war within the human world, he was sent to the side of the Demon King, but not this time.
Deon Hardt must take up the sword and deal with the Demon King's army. Maybe he will stand in the Demon King's camp and cut down the imperial army.
"So, I think you need to decide for sure now."
One step. He narrowed the short distance further and placed his hand on his shoulder. The moment has come when they must face what they had ignored with tacit consent.
The Emperor.
He knew Deon Hardt was neutral.
The Demon King would also know this. That's probably why Deon Hart was still alive and well.
A war of nerves with the Demon King and the Emperor's Deon Hardt in the middle. The rules implicitly formed there were truly strange.
'Do not oppress Deon Hardt.'
Don't let him remain in a below-competent position for fear of information leaking out.
For the same reason, do not detain Deon Hardt when he tries to cross over to the opponent's camp. It was also a monarch's ability to place Deon Hardt in such a position and not reveal confidential information to him.
Moreover, he answers questions honestly, so there was no need to torture him.
Games played under these rules were quite interesting.
'Who uses Deon Hardt more effectively?'
'Who attracts Deon Hardt first?'
'If Deon Hart decides on a side, how quickly does the opponent realize this and take action?'
In the third case, Deon Hart Hardt will also be actively participating in this game. The stake will be their own life.
So, he understood that he was desperately trying to remain neutral.
"You are a human."
He couldn't wait any longer when the situation has reached this point.
"You were born and raised here, and all your stepping stones are here. If you were born under the sun, there must be a reason, but you can't live your whole life in a place where the sun doesn't exist just because you are weak to the sun's light, right?"
"..."
"Stay here."
The curse would disappear if he killed the Demon King.
The voice that said that was unexpectedly soft. The person who caused this whole situation simply looked up at the Emperor with mysterious red eyes.
Deon Hardt.
Because he was neutral, he knew that the Emperor and the Demon King will not kill him.
It was intentional. It was to live.
If he refused the Demon King's advice to join the Demon King's army, he would die. However, he couldn't betray the Emperor and side with the Demon King. Because he had work to do when he went back.
So he became completely neutral.
If someone held a sword and hurts someone, they blame the 'someone' holding the sword, not the 'sword.' Similarly, in a situation where an opponent took your sword and cuts you, there is no fool who would get angry and say, 'The sword betrayed me.'
Deon became a 'sword'.
'Is there another owner of the sword? The one who holds it in his hand is the owner.'
The two monarchs, who had no way of knowing his intentions at first, astutely realized the situation as Deon went back and forth between the two camps once more.
There was no clear physical evidence, but he was confident. At that time, the Demon King looked at him with an interesting look and smiled, and the Emperor looked at him with a strange look and laughed as if it was funny. It must have been embarrassing. But it would be a waste to kill him.
He's not on his side, but he's not on the other person's side either. He didn't necessarily say anything he hadn't been asked first, but he answered obediently when asked. Although he never took the initiative, he faithfully followed orders. In addition, although there were some misunderstandings, his skills were also excellent.
As long as you attract him, he became a useful hand.
With the implicit consent of the two monarchs, Deon Hardt was able to host a game with himself as the prize.
'The participants are the Demon King and the Emperor.'
'The host is Deon Hardt.'
'The prize is also Deon Hardt.'
'The prospective participant is also Deon Hardt.'